Starting at the 10th hole, Molinari registered a hat trick of birdies from the 14th which he capped by draining a brilliant 20-footer at the 16th. He finished his front nine in style, chipping in for a birdie at the 18th to get to five under before picking up further shots at the first and second.

Molinari told the European Tour website: "Obviously it was another good day. I started pretty much where I left off last year, so it was great.

"It's great to see the crowds. I think there's a nice buzz around the place and I'm happy and proud to be part of it."

A high-profile three-ball saw the top three in the Race to Dubai, Tommy Fleetwood, Garcia and Jon Rahm, teeing off together. England's Fleetwood, currently leading the rankings, hit a level-par 71 while third-placed Rahm came home in 67.

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